God willing, during this final week of February, I will be sharing my heart’s thoughts on the subject of spending personal time with God by reading His Word and praying. (For those who already do this, don’t close down quite yet—keep reading!) This topic falls under many different names (I’ll list some of those in a moment), and there are many different schools of thought regarding the how, the when, and surprisingly, even the why.

If you grew up in a home with other Christ followers, or if you have spent a great deal of time attending a Bible-teaching church, you have heard many lessons on the importance of Bible study and prayer. I’m not foolish enough to think I’m sharing something brand new. Nor do I plan to rock your world by denouncing the solid foundational truths of this Christian discipline or by offering some transforming, never-been-thought-of new method for reading God’s Word.

I am, however, hoping that by the end of this week-long study of the how, the when, and the why—though, we will actually be looking at them in the reverse order: the why, the when, and the how—you will see in a new light the need to spend time praising, learning from, and praying to the Creator of the universe. My greatest desire is that this blog matters—even in the fun, silly, or resource-listing posts! But there are two primary topics that matter most to me: (1) having a personal relationship with God, and (2) learning more about and, therefore, praising God.

There may be some who think, “I already have time with the Lord daily; I don’t need this information.” To you, I say, “That’s awesome!” But I also hope that as you read this “mini-series,” you will be reminded of the importance of the why and be able to choose (for the right reasons) the when, and I pray that your life will continue to (or begin to) demonstrate the effects that are the results of the how.

So, I hope you’ll plan to join me in this mini-series on the topic of what is known by many names: devotions, God-and-I-Time, quiet time, personal Bible study, moments with God, Scripture meditation, etc. Regardless of the titles (and, as we will see, their often-related meanings), the act of praising, learning from, and praying to our awesome God is important enough to make it the focus of this blog for the next seven days.

I’ll close this “announcement” post with the lyrics of a song written several years ago, yet they still hold great truths within their simplicity:

There is a quiet place—

far from the rapid pace—

where God can soothe my troubled mind.

Sheltered by tree and flow’r,

there in my quiet hour with Him,

my cares are left behind.

Whether a garden small,

or on a mountain tall,

new strength and courage there I find;

then from this quiet place,

I go prepared to face a new day

with love for all mankind.

—Ralph Carmichael

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A reminder to those participating in WRW Month: Today is a BONUS DAY! All points earned today will be DOUBLED!

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